Mo News Talks To FEMA About Hurricane Response & Disinformation

Written By Guest User

Plus, Netflix bets on John Mulaney

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Good morning,

Netflix is making a bet on live TV. Comedian John Mulaney, who’s done a few successful stand-up specials for the streaming platform, is set to host a weekly live variety talk show, launching in early 2025.

  • Netflix hopes the show will build off ‘John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA’— a six-part live series from earlier this year.

  • Mulaney will be wearing a few hats as the host, executive producer, and co-showrunner.

  • It’s the company’s biggest push into late night, which has historically been a difficult nut to crack in streaming.

Another win for Netflix (and us!): ‘Nobody Wants This’ got picked up for a second season.

Have a good one,

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

PS: Monday is Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day, so we will be back Tuesday!

PPS: Don’t forget to refer friends & family to subscribe to the Mo Newsletter… you could get free Mo News merch — DETAILS at the bottom of this newsletter!

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📺 INTERNAL FIGHT & CONDEMNATIONS AT CBS NEWS OVER MORNING SHOW INTERVIEW

Hurricane Milton carved a path of destruction across Florida Wednesday night, leading to at least 12 deaths and leaving more than 3 million people without power.

  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reported Thursday that the storm was significant, but the worst case scenario that many forecasters feared— including a 10 to 15 feet of storm surge in Tampa Bay— did not materialize.

    • It’s not to downplay the devastation: The hurricane spurred deadly catastrophic tornadoes across the state, an eight-foot storm surge, 18 inches of rain (a 1 in 1000 year event), and over 100 mph wind gusts.

Milton hit some parts of Florida that were still reeling from Hurricane Helene, which struck less than two weeks ago. Helene’s trail of damage runs nearly 600 miles through Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Over 230 people were killed across the six states.

Interview: Mo News sat down with Keith Turi on Thursday, who is responsible for FEMA’s disaster and recovery response, to discuss the aftermath of the storms. He says these back-to-back hurricanes are not unheard of, but noted that recovery will take years.

🚨,Listen To/Watch Our Conversation via the Mo News Interview Podcast 🚨

BUDGET QUESTIONS
Our interview comes as FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said Wednesday that the agency has already blown through $9 billion of its $20 billion dollar annual disaster relief budget just a few days into the fiscal year.

  • Why is that? Turi says that has to do with previous disaster relief that was put on hold this summer due to previous budget constraints. The agency is still supporting rebuilding efforts for disasters going back a decade, and $8 billion of that $9 billion is for those projects. He assured us that urgent disaster recovery efforts for Milton and Helene are fully funded.

    • Turi also stressed that accusations from the right that money is being diverted from disasters to the Shelter and Services Program (SSP) to support migrants are false. It’s a claim that has been amplified by former President Trump.

      • Turi noted the SSP is actually a Customs and Border Protection program that FEMA is merely managing the grants for (both agencies fall under DHS), and that it comes from a separate pot of money authorized by Congress.

A MISINFORMATION CRISIS
We discussed a number of false accusations circulating that FEMA is neglecting Republican areas, blocking aid, confiscating donations, and limiting support to $750 per family, etc. Turi pushed back on all of the above in our conversation, and noted that the agency has been facing increasing misinformation in recent years, especially after the fires in Maui, and the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

  • Recovery and response efforts are a team sport, he said. Despite the disinformation, Turi reinforced that FEMA’s role is to help bring together federal, state, local and tribal organizations, and some of the accusations are not even possible given what is in FEMA’s purview. He thanked a number of Republican and Democratic leaders for speaking with one voice.

    • “It's holistic in how we respond, and we've seen great support from many of our partners in helping get that information out, so it's something we're gonna have to continue to deal with unfortunately. We're not letting it distract us from responding and helping those that need it. But we'll keep looking at the most effective way to communicate as we move forward,” he said.

    • Turi has worked for FEMA for nearly 20 years, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, and assures us that the agency does not withhold support based on states’ or Americans’ political affiliations. “The men and women of FEMA are focused on helping people,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) doubled down on her false claims this week that officials can control the weather.

  • And just for the record, Mo News asked Turi about Greene’s and others’ claims that FEMA controls the weather. He said categorically: “Unfortunately, we don't have control over the weather.” And if they did, they would STOP hurricanes, not make them worse.

HOW TO HELP
Speaking of helping, Turi says that “disaster response and recovery always takes the whole community to be able to support.” And, there is plenty of need in Florida after Helene and Milton:

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Milton spares Daytona Beach factory that's a critical supplier of IV fluids (ABC NEWS)

📌 Afghan accused of plotting terror attack worked as CIA guard, officials say (NBC NEWS)

📌 Florida resident "Lieutenant Dan" recounts riding out Hurricane Milton on his sailboat: "I'm not scared of anything" (CBS NEWS)

📌 Republicans appear poised to take control of Senate, new poll shows (NY TIMES)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Ukrainian reporter Victoria Roshchyna dies in Russian detention, official says (CBS NEWS)

📌 At least 22 people killed in Israeli airstrikes in central Beirut. A strike on Gaza school kills 27 (AP)

📌 Kate Middleton makes surprise public appearance alongside Prince William in first public engagement post-chemo (PEOPLE)

📌 The world's sixth 'Blue Zone': Why Singapore values both quantity and quality of life (BBC)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 TD Bank to pay $3 billion after breaking US money laundering rules (CBS NEWS)

📌 Tesla is ready to roll out its Robotaxis (WIRED)

📌 Common heart conditions raise the risk of dementia, experts say (CNN)

📌Groceries are more affordable now than in 2019. So why are people still so mad about prices? (MARKET WATCH)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 ABC airs anti-abortion ad with disturbing images during The View broadcast comparing show cohosts to Nazis (EW)

📌 The sex trafficking trial against music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs is set to begin May 5, a judge announced Thursday (ABC NEWS)

📌 South Korean author Han Kang wins the 2024 Nobel prize in literature (GUARDIAN)

📌 Anne Hathaway apologizes to journalist known for string of viral awkward interviews (SALON)

🎉 CHEERS TO THE FREAKIN WKND

Guest User
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